Another screenshot, this time from Episode 1 of the Dirk Gently TV series1. There are several pencils in this episode. One of them is easy to identify and plays an important role: it’s being used for shading paper to reveal a message.

The TV series seems to be loosely based on the book, with different episodes picking up different plots from Douglas Adams’ book (at least that’s the impression I have so far, after watching the pilot and episode 1. Future episodes might be different).

10 thoughts on “Dirk Gently and the Grip 2001”

I’ve never been a fan of this pencil, the white, mottled wood (jelutong?) does nothing for me, and the grip dots, while adding a touch of contemporary style, I find serves no functional use as I don’t have a problem with slippery grips on wooden pencils. It is very light, the lead is just so so, and I find triangular design more problematic to sharpen. I do like the black erasered version which adds a touch of class.

This is the case of a pencil that promised much ..(and probably still does to a certain section of the market) but doesn’t really deliver. On the contrary, I find it’s mechanical pencil cousin, the grip 2011, is a very functional and well made product.

At first glance I thought someone put a pencil over a butter dish! Good to see some familiar product on TV.

My liking of the Grip 2001s actually grew with use. Not that I pay attention to it all the time, but the dots provide a pleasant feedback to the fingers. While I usually avoid triangular pencils because of my (incorrect) holding position, the dots somehow make the barrel feel less triangular or obtrusive. The lead is light for the marking, even 2B is lighter than what I expect for HB. But the upside is that they last longer between sharpenings, therefore can be taken to meetings.

Kevin, even though I like the black grip design pencil from Faber-Castell I was never keen on the Grip 2001. I think I just don’t like the look, even though I like the Grip 2011, like you. I used the black version a lot when I was still using ballpoint pens, and I also have a grey and blue version. I haven’t bought the mechanical pencil version yet, though.

Claire, I also usually avoid triangular pencils, but I am not sure why I don’t like them. Some of them are really not very nice. I find the triangular Eberhard Faber 1210 even less exciting than the Grip 2001, even though the lead is actually very nice for a cheap pencil. Lexikaliker gave me a fantastic custom version of the Grip a while ago, one of the best looking pencils I know. I should take a photo and show it here, I don’t think Lexikaliker has shown it on his web site yet.

Here it is.. One side has Graphit Kropfmuehl Group printed on it and a white “GK” with a red background, see photo, one side has Faber-Castell and the FC logo printed on it in white and the last side has nothing printed on it.

No, they aren’t dots (you can click on the image for a close-up), but I guess they were done using the same technology as the Grip 2001 dots. If I remember right the black design grip had been replaced by another look, before it got its dots back, and the other look (which I wasn’t too keen on) didn’t have dots either, I think it was a bit like this pencil’s grips, or maybe it had a wavy pattern, I can’t remember how it looked like exactly..

That’s a handsome looking pencil! I like its industrial brown color. The ‘dots’ fit the design nicely. Although I suspect they are packed too closely for the fingers to tell individual ones apart. I’m guessing the surface on this one feels more continuous than the ordinary Grip 2001, Matthias?

Claire, I should have taken a photo instead of just putting the pencil on my scanner: the colour is not really a brown, but a dark grey. You are right, it’s difficult to tell individual elements of the grip apart.

Sean, yes, they are not too expensive either. The darkness is ok for me, but darker would be nice if it doesn’t mean the point gets used up too fast.